Precious
by GaaMatsu54
Summary: This a GaaraXMatsuri fic.What happens when Matsuri gets captured by rouge ninja, and what will Gaara do.
1. Caught

CHAPTER 1: Caught

The sound of kunai knives clashing together resonated through out the forest, followed by a large _thud _as the body of a ninja was flung to the floor and impacted against a tree. The ninja slowly regained composure and even though her body was bruised an ached from the impact against the tree, she lifted herself from the ground and prepared to fight again.

"Are you okay Matsuri?" a fellow ninja who had seen her impact against the tree asked.

"Yeah, don't worry I'm not out yet Mikoshi." She responded with a grin, but her face turned serious as she surveyed the area around her. It seemed the fighting had moved further away, deeper into the forest. That or she had been flung a pretty good.

Matsuri and her team had been on their way back home from a routine escort mission when they had been ambushed and out numbered four to six by rouge ninjas. They had attacked out of nowhere, and for no apparent reason only that of the fun of fighting. Her team and her have been able to keep them at bay for now, but they were not sure how long they would be able to last. They had been fighting for almost an hour, they were tired, out numbered, and running out of chackra. This battle was a fierce one, and she was going to give it all she had. Giving her best friend a reassuring smile, she took a kunai knife from her pouch and hurried to the aid of her teammates.

As she arrived, Mikoshi right behind her, she dashed for cover behind a bush; Mikoshi followed suit. Matsuri could hear her friends labored breathing. "Calm down" she whispered turning toward her friend, " we don't want to give away our position."

"Gomen." Mikoshi whispered in a broken voice. Her usually joyful and calm brown eyes were full of fright and anxiousness. Matsuri only nodded and turned away to look at the scene before her. Her breath caught in her throat as she took in the scene before her, and saw the cause of her friend's fright. On the ground among other bodies, laid the battered and beaten bodies of her teammates. Her team leader, Otokaze, a jounin, sat reclined against the trunk of a tree. He was breathing heavily and she saw why. On his ride side just bellow the ribcage, a kunai knife pierced the front of his body. His face and body were bruised and scratched His brown eyes were glazed and sweat ran down his face. A few feet away lay the body of her other teammate. Sajin, a chunin, was sprawled on the floor on top of two of the enemies. He seemed unconscious, various bruises and wounds could be seen throughout his body. His left ankle was twisted at a weird ankle and was covered with blood. Tears welled up in her eyes but she fought them back furiously. She had learned the hard way that tears did not solve anything and therefore there was no use in shedding them.

Regaining control of herself she started to count the bodies. Excluding her teammates there where four dead enemy bodies lying on the floor. Two where lying under Sajin's body, indicating he had collapsed on them after he killed them. Two bodies more where lying a few feet across Otokaze. Kunai knives and shurikens protruded from various parts of their bodies.

But they had been attacked by six rouge ninjas, two where missing. Where could they be?

"Ma-Matsuri?" She heard Mikoshi's whispered plea as she tugged on her sleeve. "Not now Mikoshi," she whispered back harshly not bothering to face her, " I counted the bodies. There are two rouge ninjas missing."

"_Tsk, tsk, tsk. _You should really listen to your friend here."She heard a deep and mocking voice snicker from behind her, followed by a low quiet chuckle a little further down. She froze. Her heart beat faster, her palms became slippery with sweat, and her body tensed preparing itself for the fight and danger that was sure to come.

She slowly turned her head to the source of the deep and mocking voice, coming face to face with the eyes of a tall and huge man. His eyes where black, pitch black, and unlike her own eyes that were warm and inviting, his where cold deadly, and penetrating.

"Well hello there beautiful." He greeted her in a mocking tone. Her eyes wavered from his penetrating stare as her entire body was flushed by a wave of fear, causing her to shiver, and causing a slow and deathly smile to form on his lips; promising pain and suffering.

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**Okay, this is my first fic so I hope it's not too bad. I'm still developing the plot and I'm a very slow writer. So if you actually like this story (fingers crossed) it will take me a lot of time to upload. In the meantime please review. Be harsh if you want I want your cold, harsh honesty. NO MERCY!**


	2. Not going down without a fight

**CHAPTER 2: Not going down without a fight!**

"Okay this isn't good," Matsuri thought as she faced the man before her. "Not good at all." "Just think," she chanted. "There has to be a way out of this, there just has to"

"Well, it seems you've flattered her so much she's speechless, Boss." Said a voice from behind the huge man distracting Matsuri from her thoughts. Slightly, she turned her head to glance at him from the corner of her eyes. He was a little further to the side of the man before her, he had a kunai knife pressed to Mikoshi's back, but other than that he seemed harmless. He was a relatively small man. His brown hair reached to his shoulder; his eyes were beady and yellowish in color. He did not seem relatively strong; he had a small and scrawny frame. He saw Matsuri glancing at him and gave her a malicious and ugly grin. His teeth were yellowish and seemed to be at odd angles. "It must hurt to chew with that mouth," she thought aimlessly. "Shut up, Kagerou you stupid idiot." The man whom Kagerou referred to as "Boss" hissed in a deathly manner. "I still cant believe you actually survived, I was hoping you would've died."

"Aww don't be like that Boss"

"What ever, you pest," he said slightly turning his body towards Kagerou.

"You know you always do that Takeshi, playing the so cool and scary guy, I'm sick of it"

"Oh please!"

"Yeah, yeah, and that's not all…"

As they bantered Matsuri took the opportunity and looked around, locking eyes with Mikoshi. She was a few feet behind Matsuri; her body crouched to the floor. Kagerou had his kunai placed behind her back almost daring her to move. She was trembling, her eyes nervously glancing everywhere but never resting in one place for too long. As she locked eyes with Matsuri, Matsuri gave her a stern look, forcing her to calm down. Mikoshi took a quiet breath, and her eyes calmed, coming to rest on Matsuri. Matsuri gave her a small smile, and moved her attention back to the two ninjas before her. They were still bantering, and she knew if she was just able to distract them away from Mikoshi, she might be able to escape from Kagerou giving her a chance to strike the newly identified Takeshi. Making sure they would not stop fighting yet, Matsuri turned to Mikoshi and relayed her message. Mikoshi's hardened with confidence. She understood Matsuri's silent message. They had never needed words to express their thoughts to each other.

"… And further more, I bet I can beat you Takeshi!" Takeshi snickered and turned away muttering something unintelligible.

"What did you say?" demanded Kagerou. This was it, the opportunity they where looking for. " He said you were an idiot and that not in your life time!" yelled Matsuri.

Kagerou face screwed in to a frown, and he glared deathly at Takeshi, his face reddened and she could see a vain popping on his forehead. "Why you! " he yelled. Unconsciously lifting the kunai from Mikoshi's body and bringing in front of himself, and then it began. Mikoshi, taking the opportunity, slid her leg under Kagerou kicking his legs with force and causing him to trip. He landed with a thud against the ground. Takeshi, having turned around at Kagerou's yell, quickly took a shuriken and aimed it at Mikoshi. Mikoshi however was able to dodge it. She had always been one of the fastest kunoichi in the Sand Village. Seeing as his attempt failed, he tried to move further away, however he soon realized he couldn't.

A rope tied his legs. He turned his body around, Matsuri coming into view. She was smirking at him; her black eyes sparkled with pride, a jouhyou in her hand. He glared, and reached into his pouch. Mikoshi, having jumped onto a tree in order to dodge Takeshi's attack, jumped and twirled in the air, landing behind Takeshi. Quickly, she produced a rope from her pouch and bound Takeshi's arms to his sides. Making sure he was bound tightly, they turned their attention to Kagerou. He was not on the ground anymore, in fact he was nowhere in site. They got into their fight stance, their senses heightened and alert for any suspicious movement or sound.

"What's that?" Matsuri thought as she heard a low quiet sound. It was coming from behind them, low and quiet. It sounded like it was cutting through the air. " A Windmill shuriken" she realized. Turning around she saw the object from the corner of her eyes. Shit! She couldn't stop it. Quickly, she graved Mikoshi and Takeshi by their shoulder and pulled the both to the ground with her. The windmill shuriken flew just above their heads, missing them by inches. Recovering quickly, Matsuri got up and tried to pin point where it came from. Then she would find Kagerou. Turning her body, she saw him. He was trying to hide behind a tree but it was too late. She had seen his foot before he could hide it behind the tree. He wasn't looking her way. Giving Mikoshi a signal to be quiet and wait for her, she took out her kunai and silently headed his way.

"Shit I missed!" Kagerou silently whispered to himself. "Now what? They'll probably find me." He turned his head over the side of the tree, trying to see what happened. As his head peered through the side of the tree, he felt something cold and metallic against his neck. His breath caught as he heard a feminine voice whisper in a cold tone "Move and ill kill you." Matsuri had sneaked behind Kagerou and know had her body pressed against his back. Matsuri felt shivers run through Kagerou's body and smiled to herself. Her sensei had taught her more than just how to fight. A sudden feeling of longing and pain ran through her body as she thought of Gaara sensei. She missed him very much, and hates going on missions because it took her away from him. Her pain and longing where replaced with excitement as she realized that she would soon see him. Reaching into her pouch with her free left hand she produced a ripe and started to tie it around his body, pressing the kunai knife closer to his neck as a warning not to move. After she finished, she grabbed him and took him to where Mikoshi was waiting. She had placed Takeshi with his back against a tree, sitting on the floor. Matsuri deposited Kagerou next to him as well.

"Great job Matsuri" "You too," she responded while searching around. "But there's no time to celebrate. Otokaze and Sajin are severely injured, we have to help them." "I almost forgot about them." Mikoshi replied in a shameful whisper. " It's okay Mikoshi, as long as we help them."

After checking that the two rouge ninjas weren't going anywhere, Mikoshi and Matsuri made their way to where their injured comrades lade. Mikoshi headed towards Sajin, turning him onto his back. Carefully she bandaged his left ankle after having to painfully untwist it to the right position, even though it must have heard a lot, he did not stir which worried them both. They could still hear his quiet and uneven breathing, which gave them some degree of comfort. After taking care of Sajin, and laying him on his back, under a tree's shade, Mikoshi headed towards Otokaze. Matsuri was already there. She had carefully removed the kunai from Otokaze's body. When Matsuri had reached Otokaze he too had been unconscious, and his breathing had become slower. This worried Matsuri, but when she had started to remove the knife, his eyes scrunched up and flew open. He was disoriented and dizzy but it soon passed. "M- Matsuri…" he had whispered in a weak voice, bringing tears to Matsuri's eyes, which she quickly fought away. She couldn't bear to see him like this, this man was like a father to her, watching him be so weak and hurt was almost as hard as when she witnessed her real father die." "Yes its me, please don't speak your hurt."

"You don't look good, Matsuri." He said, ignoring her. She laughed a dry and humorless laugh "Well you don't look so good yourself, but seriously be quiet, don't waste your energy." He nodded slightly. "Good, now listen." She said in a serious tone. " You have a kunai penetrating the lower part of your ribcage on your right side." Locking her eyes with his brown, glazed ones she said, "I'll have to pull it out and it'll hurt but you'll have to bear with it okay?" "Just do what you have to do, Matsuri don't worry ill be alright"

"Hai." she said in a quiet voice. Grabbing the kunai with both hands and Mikoshi grabbing his shoulders she pulled hard. She heard Otokaze scream, her arms shook and she almost let go, but she knew she wouldn't be able to continue if she did. Closing her eyes she put extra force in her pull and felt the knife slide out from his body. He stopped screaming. "Are you okay?" they both asked in unison. "Y-yeah, I'm okay." They sighed in relief. "Good now lets bandage you up." After several minutes of struggling to bandage him up, they succeeded. "How are you feeling?" "Much better, arigato Matsuri, Mikoshi" They smiled. "Okay now that this is taken care of what's next?" Asked Mikoshi. "Well first we have to get both Otokaze and Sajin back to Suna, Otokaze might be alright now but I'm still worried about Sajin and Otokaze might get worse if his wounds are left untreated." "But what about them?" she asked pointing to where the two rouge ninjas sat near a tree further away. "We'll have to take them with us as well, and have them interrogated." "Don't worry I know how we can take them, Mikoshi make three sand clone of your self." "Where are you going with this Matsuri?" "Just do it, don't worry" "h-hai!" after making various hand signs, three sand clones identical to Mikoshi appeared on either side of her. "Great, now command two of them to grab Sajin, and the other one can help you carry Otokaze. Then I'll just free their feet while keeping the rope over their hands so they cant try to do any ninjutsu, and ill just pull them along with a rope." "Wow that's a great idea Matsuri!" "Thanks so lets get going. I'll help you get Otokaze." Going over to Otokaze they were able to carefully lift him up on his feet than carefully place his arms over Mikoshi and her sand clone's shoulders. When they were done they fond that the other clones had already taken care of Sajin and had his arms over their shoulders. "Great now for the other two." Said Matsuri turning toward were she had last seen them. But they weren't there. "Shit! Where the fuck are they." She screamed worried. "Duck!" she heard Mikoshi scream and shi instantly dropped to the ground, a kunai flew above her and hit the tree behind her. Getting up quickly she ran to Mikoshi, the two rouge ninja's nowhere in site. "How did they get free?" Mikoshi asked anxiously as they all crouched behind a bush for cover. "I don't know but you have to go." "No!" both Otokaze and Mikoshi yelled in unison. " You can't take them alone Matsuri," reasoned Otokaze. We'll stay and fight with you" chimed in Mikoshi. "You can't" hissed Matsuri, frustration getting to her. " You have to return to Suna, Otokaze and Sajin need medical attention, besides you're almost out of chackra. Please, don't worry ill just distract them while you get a safe distance away, if things get tough ill find a way to escape." she said in a pleading tone. "You know that we wont last long even if it's the two of us, our chackras are too low. This way at least we'll make sure Otokaze and Sajin make it to Suna. Please." She said and tears fell from Mikoshi's face and Otokaze lowered his head. " Promise me you'll be alright." Matsuri kept quiet. "Promise!"

"I promise." she said reaching out and hugging both Mikoshi and Otokaze. She looked over their shoulder to where Sajin and the other sand clones were. " Take care of him and be safe, don't worry about me, I'll be alright." "H-Hai! And please take care." And they were off, on to the trees moving further away from the forest and onto what they knew best, the dessert. " Don't worry," Matsuri whispered to the air as she left her hiding place. "I don't intent to go down without a fight."

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**Okay, there's chapter two hope it was okay. I was worried especially about the fighting and stuff. Hopefully there weren't too many mistakes. I'm thinking of bringing Gaara in the next chapter, but ill have to wait to see how things work out. Chances are he will come. Anyway, PLEASE REVIEW! =P**

**P.S. I reloaded this like a few minutes after I uploaded it. If any one was troubled by it, gomen-sai. Its just I found huge mistakes and couldn't let it stay like that. **


	3. Guilt and Metamorphosis

Chapter 3: Guilt and Metamorphosis

**Mikoshi's POV**

"Damn, damn, damn! I cannot believe I actually listened to her and left her alone. I should have stayed there with her no matter what she said or did," I thought, berating myself for the millionth time as I jumped from tree to tree, getting nearer to Suna and further away from Matsuri.

Further away from her.

Diminishing any chance of me helping her.

Raising the risk of something bad happening to her.

Raising the risk of never seeing her again of never, never…

"DAMN!" I yelled, again, guilt and frustration getting the better of me. I felt movement by my side. Shit! I didn't mean to be that loud. Now I've woken Otokaze. A few hours after leaving, exhaustion had finally caught up to him and he had fallen into a deep slumber. I turned to face him. I watched as his eyes slowly fluttered open, only to close immediately after making contact with the sun's light.

"Where are we?" he asked in a soft, groggy voice. His eyes still squinted against the light.

" We are about a day away from Suna," I responded, turning my head away and looking straight ahead. The star's light penetrated in between the tree leaves, casting eerie shadows. The sun had long since taken its leave.

"We should make it back by sometime next morning. It's been half a day since, since…" I didn't need to finish my sentence; he knew what I was referring to. He grunted, lowering his eyes.

" Are you alright? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

"It's okay," he said " its about time I awoke, and you know I like to know what's going on."

"Oh, I certainly know that," I said smiling as a distant memory came to my mind. "remember when Matsuri planned you a surprise party, and you got all weird because no one told you?"

He smiled, a forced and painful smile.

"How could I forget?"

**Flashback**

It was a bright day; the sun was setting, hiding from the world behind a row of buildings. Darkness began to fall. It slowly creeped through the earth, taking over what the sun had left behind. Otokaze had just finished his shift guarding the gate, he was tired, hungry, and in a very foul mood. Worst of all, it was his birthday and no one seemed to care. Not one person, not one had said, " Hey Otokaze! Happy Birthday!" Not one! Of course he wasn't usually over sentimental about this things. Someone would usually congratulate him, let it be a coworker, friend, or associate.

But no one did this time, and that concerned him. It was not right, unusual, out of place. There was nothing he hated more than things being out of place. He hated the feeling it gave him. It made him feel fragile, insecure, powerless. He liked to know everything, liked to have things planned out. It made him feel comforted,safe.

Ironically he ended up being a ninja, a job in which each day is filled with uncertainty and death. But his sense of right, his desire to protect his village, and those who reside in it, overpowered his hate and fear of not knowing what would happen.

With these things in mind, Otokaze opened the door to his small apartment. He failed to notice how his usually well light apartment, even at night, was completely dark. How all the windows and curtains in his apartment were closed despite how he would always leave them open. He liked to watch the world and people go by.

After closing the door, he turned around, and almost had a heart attack. The lights had been flicked on, shining light on the dozens of people crowded in the room. " Happy Birthday!" they all yelled, at the same time, startling him.

"What, what is this?" he had asked, shock still in his body.

"It's a your surprise party." He heard a familiar voice say. He watched as Matsuri made her way from the back of the crowd.

"Were you surprised?" she asked in a cheerful voice.

"Yes, yes I was. Very much actually," he said remembering the dreadful feeling he felt when he saw them all appear from seemingly nowhere. He covered his face, he felt emberrased. Here he was, a ninja, and he didn't even notice all these people in his apartment. What a great ninja he was!

"But I wished you had told me?" he said sounding a little sad. An amused smile appeared on Matsuri's face.

" But if we had told you, then it wouldn't be much of a surprise, would it?"

"No, I guess it wouldn't." he replied while nervously scratching the back of his head. "So, did you plan this?" He asked trying to change the subject. Matsuri smiled.

"Of course, but I did have some help." she said while motioning toward Mikoshi and Sajin.

" Of course." He stated, a smile on his lips.

"Well enough chit-chat," Matsuri interjected, "enjoy yourself Otokaze, I mean it is your birthday."

"Right." he replied heading deeper into his home and uncertainty, all the while enjoying himself.

End of flashback

I chuckled at the memory. " You did enjoy yourself at the end though."

"Yeah, I did." He responded, smiling at the memory that had formed in his brain as well. But the brief moment of happiness soon left as quickly as it came. Reality hit us again with force. Matsuri wasn't here with us, no she was somewhere else, alone and no one to depend on but herself.

We grew quiet, and didn't speak for a long time. " Mikoshi?" I heard Otokaze question, concern evident in his voice. "Where's Sajin?" he asked.

Oh, I realized now why he asked. He was between my sand clone, and I. He could not turn around to see my sand clones carrying Sajin.

" He's behind us." I answered. "He is okay, don't worry. He is still unconscious though, but other than that he should be all right. You should be worrying about yourself instead, your wound is still bleeding and if its not treated well, it might get infected and worsen. Then you might not get better in time."

"Right." He agreed, knowing full well what I meant. If his wound wasn't treated well, he might not be able to get well enough to participate in the back up team that was sure to be sent if Matsuri did not return to the village. It was awful to think that Matsuri might possibly not return, but it was necessary. This way they we would be prepared, but I knew that no one was ever ready for anything, no matter how prepared they tought they were. "Lets hurry." I said, anxious to get back as soon as possible. Otokaze nodded in agreement. Silence engulfed us again, as we hurried home.

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Meanwhile, many miles away

The sound of footsteps were the only sound Kankuro heard as he walked down the hall, that lead to his younger brother's office. Well, the sound of his footsteps to be exact, and that's what worried him the most. It was unusually quiet. He knew it was night, and that that might explain why it was so unusually quiet, but no, that wasn't entirely it. It was something else, he couldn't name it or see it, but he felt it. It was an ominous feeling, a feeling that something terrible was going to happen, or already happened. He tried to push those feelings away as he reached his destination, stopping in front of Gaara's office door. He couldn't let this bother him; he was about to see Gaara. He knew Gaara already had enough to worry about, and if he saw him like this he would surely pick it up and just worry about it as well.

It was kind of funny actually, before he could care less if Kankuro was worried or even dying. But now, if even the slightest thing bothered Kankuro, or his sister Temari, he would worry himself sick. It was kind of nice actually. He never thought they would ever be so close. He had always been afraid of Gaara, not only because of his violent and irrational behavior but also because of what laid hidden deep inside his body, Shakaku. At times Kankuro and Temari wouldn't be able to sleep, afraid that if they closed their eyes they might never see the morning light ever again. But just like the caterpillars change into butterflies, Gaara changed as well, thanks to an unorthodox yellow-haired ninja from Konoha. It took time, but soon they were able to trust each other and grew close. Each always having each other's back. And since the removal of Shakaku, they've grown even closer, and he couldn't be happier.

Taking a deep breath, he knocked on Gaara's door. He waited, no answer. He tried knocking again, still no answer. This time he tried to call."Gaara, Gaara are you there?" No answer. Huh, that's strange, he thought. Turning the knob, slowly he opened the door, hesitantly poking his head in.

"Gaara you in here?" he whispered as he looked around. No answer, he wasn't in his office either. He must be out on the balcony, he realized.

When not in his office working on something important, Gaara could almost always be found in the little balcony, which could only be accessed from a slide glass door in his office. Bringing his whole body in, Kankuro closed the door. He headed towards the glass door, sliding it and stepping out onto the balcony. In the corner, a figure stood staring at the moon. He was shrouded in darkness, making it hard to see his face.

"Gaara?" Kankuro called out. The figure did not move for quite some time, and Kankuro stood rooted in place, not sure what to do. But slowly, from the shadows two pairs of jade colored eyes filled with sadness and longing, turned to meet his.

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Yet, another chapter. Hmm… I wondered who that figure shrouded in darkness was? But don't worry more about him next chapter.

Hope you liked it, please review.


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